Texas in the Movies

Far from a complete list, the following is a selection of movies featuring Texas.

	Alamo A chronicle of one of the most remarkable events in American history. At the Alamo - a crumbling adobe mission - 185 exceptional men joined together in a sacred pact: they would stand firm against an army of 7,000 and willingly give their lives for freedom. Directed by & Starring John Wayne. NR
	Apostle Eulis 'Sonny' Dewey is a preacher from Texas living a happy life with his beautiful wife Jessie when suddenly his stable world crumbles. Directed by Robert Duvall.  Starring Robert Duvall & Farrah Fawcett. PG-13
	Best Little Whorehouse in Texas A sheriff and a proprietess join together not only in romance, but to fight a big city TV crusader in his efforts to expose the Chicken Ranch to public scandal, and thus close it down.  Directed by Colin Higgins.  Starring Burt Reynolds, Dolly Parton, & Dom DeLuise. R
	Bonnie and Clyde A mixture of comedy and brutal violence, this film is based on the exploits of the notorious American outlaws of the 1930's, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. Directed by Arthur Penn.  Starring Warren Beatty & Faye Dunaway. R
	Dancer, Texas Keller has wanted to leave Dancer , Texas since he was a child. At 12 he enlisted his best friends, Squirrel, Terrell Lee, and Jon in a solemn oath that they would all ditch Dancer after high school graduation. But when the boys gather on graduation night, each finds his own reasons to reconsider their vow.  Directed by Tim McCanlies. PG
	Dazed and Confused The story of the last day of school, in a small Texas town - and one rowdy night - in the lives of a group of high school students in late May, 1976. Directed by Richard Linklater. Starring Jason London & Joey Lauren Adams. R
	Duel in the Sun Hot-blooded Lewt McCanles, the son of a Texas land baron, and his brother, Jesse, become rivals when they meet Pearl, a beautiful half-breed Indian girl who comes to live on their ranch. Though she's won over by Lewt, his volatile nature ultimately leads to tragedy. Directed by King Vidor.  Starring Jennifer Jones & Joseph Cotton. NR
	Giant Bick Benedict, his society-gilded wife and three generations of land-rich Texas sons and daughters love, swagger, connive and clash in a monumental drama of family strife, racial bigotry and conflict between cattle barons and newly-rich oil tycoons. Directed by George Stevens.  Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, & James Dean. NR
	Happy, Texas When escaped convicts Harry Sawyer and Wayne Wayne Wayne, Jr. are pulled over in the town of Happy , Texas , - while driving a stolen Winnebago - they think they're being arrested. Rather, they're immediately welcomed as the vehicle's owners: a gay couple who've come to orchestrate the "Little Miss Fresh-Squeezed Pre-Teen" beauty pageant. Not ones to let a good con pass them by, the pair don't hesitate to adopt flamboyant new personalities - and quickly meet with outrageously unpredictable consequences. Directed by Mark Illsley.  Starring Steve Zahn & Jeremy Northam. PG-13
	Hope Floats Birdee Pruitt has a life most people would envy. But when her cheating husband reveals his infidelity to her on a national TV talk show, her perfect life comes crashing down. Devastated, Birdee and her young daughter head home to the small Texas town she left behind. As mother and daughter struggle to adjust to their new lives, Birdee slowly gains the strength to open her heart - and find hope again. Directed by Forest Whitaker.  Starring Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick Jr., & Gena Rowlands. PG-13
	Hud An adaptation of the novel Horseman, Pass By, by Larry McMurtry,about a Texas ranch family who finds that its livestock is contaminated with foot-and-mouth disease which portends ruination for the family. Directed by Martin Ritt.  Starring Paul Newman. NR
	Last Picture Show A bittersweet drama of the social and sexual mores in small-town 1950s Texas. Directed by Peter Bogdanovich. Starring Jeff Bridges & Cybill Shepherd.  Based on the book The Last Picture Show by Larry McMurtry. R
	Lone Star An unsolved murder in a Texas border town uncovers a tale of corruption, intrigue, and forbidden love. Directed by John Sayles. Starring Kris Kristoferson, Matthew McConaughey, Chris Cooper, and Elizabeth Peña. R
	Love Me Tender Two brothers, home from the Civil War, have a falling-out over money, and a young woman they both love.  Directed by Robert D. Webb.  Starring Elvis Presley. NR
	Newton Boys Four Newton brothers are a poor farmer family in the 1920s. The oldest of them, Willis, one day realizes that there's no future in the fields and offers his brothers to become a bank robbers. Soon the family agrees. They become very famous robbers, and five years later execute the greatest train robbery in American history. Directed by Richard Linklater.  Starring Matthew McConaughey, Skeet Ulrich, & Ethan Hawke. PG-13
	Old Yeller Set amidst the landscape of 1860s Texas, a young boy named Travis wants nothing to do with a lop-eared stray. But Old Yeller quickly proves himself a loyal friend, protecting the family farm and saving Travis' life. They become inseparable pals, sharing joyous experiences, and Travis learns valuable lessons about growing up. Directed by Robert Stevenson.  Starring Dorothy McGuire, Fess Parker, & Chuck Connors. Based on the book Old Yeller by Fred Gipson. G
	Places in the Heart It's the 1930's in Waxahachie, Texas. Against this Depression-torn background unforgettable characters meet and collide. Its emotionally gripping story centers around Edna Spalding and her unending struggle against extraordinary hardships. Directed by Robert Benton.  Starring Sally Field, Lindsay Crouse, Ed Harris, & Danny Glover. PG
	Red River With no market for his herd, the master of a vast cattle ranch and his son decide to head the first cattle drive over the now famous Chisholm Trail, past the Red River , into Missouri. The path is filled with hardship and the drive looks hopeless as the men struggle to prevail. Directed by Howard Hawks.  Starring John Wayne & Montgomery Clift. NR
	Searchers Ex-Confederate soldier Ethan Edwards is an Indian-hater who believes more in bullets than words. He's out to find his young niece, who's been taken captive by the renegade Comanches who massacred her family. He won't surrender to hunger, thirst, the elements or loneliness. And in his obsessive quest, Ethan finds something unexpected: his own humanity. Directed by John Ford.  Starring John Wayne.  Based on the book The Searchers by Alan LeMay. NR
	Secondhand Lions To the rest of the world, Garth and Hub are mysterious old men hiding millions. But to Walter, they are family - and now they're about to lead him on an adventure he'll never forget. Directed by Tim McCanlies. Starring Robert Duvall, Michael Caine, & Haley Joel Osment. PG
	Slacker Satire about a growing generation of young idlers or "slackers," filmed in Austin, Texas. A series of vignettes catches the crazies and lazies in clubs, bars, stores, and the streets of the college town. Directed by & Starring Richard Linklater.  R
	Sons of Katie Elder The day that Katie Elder is buried, her four sons return home to Clearwater, Texas, to pay their last respects. It is a he-man story, as well as, a drama of the maternal influence of Katie Elder , her sacrifice, love and incredible valor. The hopes and aspirations for her sons is movingly communicated from beginning to conclusion. Directed by Henry Hathaway.  Starring John Wayne & Dean Martin. NR
	The Texas Chainsaw Massacre A group of teenagers pick up a hitchhiker and wind up in a backwoods horror chamber where they're held captive, tortured, chopped up, and impaled on meat hooks by a demented cannibalistic family, including the maniacal Leatherface who wields a chainsaw. Directed by Tobe Hooper. Starring Sally Hardesty, Allen Danziger, & Jim Siedow. R
	Texasville In The Last Picture Show, Duane and Jacy had this thing between them. Now, 30 years later, they still do. This time, it's Duane's feisty wife, Karla. It's 1984, and Anarene, Texas is still a sleepy little town, where the women haven't forgotten how to flirt and the men haven't figured out how to say "no." Directed by Peter Bogdanovich.  Starring Jeff Bridges & Cybill Shepherd.  Based on the book Texasville by Larry McMurtry. R
	Tin Cup A washed up golf pro working at a driving range, in the West Texas town of Salome, tries to qualify for the U.S. Open in order to win the heart of his successful rival's girlfriend. Directed by Ron Shelton.  Starring Kevin Costner & Rene Russo. R
	Trip to Bountiful This is the touching portrait of Carrie Watts, a woman whose last wish is to return to her childhood home in Bountiful, Texas before she dies. Directed by Peter Masterson. Starring Geraldine Page & John Heard. PG
	Urban Cowboy By day, Bud Davis works at a Texas oil refinery but at night he trades in his hard hat for a Stetson and goes to Gilley's. There he meets Sissy, a pretty two-stepper, who believes he's a cowboy . Bud's got to prove it when a dangerous ex-con schemes to rob Gilley's and steal Sissy's heart. Directed by James Bridges.  Starring John Travolta, Debra Winger, & Scott Glenn. PG
	Wheeler Dealers A Texas oilman heads to Wall Street to raise cash and meets a blonde stock analyst with her own angle. Directed by starring James Garner. NR